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Reconsidering The Auricular Surface As An Indicator Of Age At Death, Daniel Osborne

Masters Theses

Using standards established by Lovejoy et al. (1985) to score and estimate age at death from auricular surface morphology, the auricular surfaces of 266 individuals of documented age from two different skeletal collections (Terry and Bass Donated Collections) were examined. The age, sex and race of the individuals used in the study were unknown to the investigator during analysis. This study supports the claim proposed in the original study that auricular surface morphology is unaffected by an individual's sex or race. However, this study indicates that auricular surface morphology does not change as regularly with age as was originally proposed. …

Ostensible Abductions, Real Anthropology, Timothy F. Mccauley

Masters Theses

A gap has developed in the research agenda of contemporary anthropology with regard to a phenomenon which has received notable attention from research professionals in other fields, such as history and psychiatry. What has been called the "alien abduction phenomenon" has had considerable impact, not only on those who sincerely believe these events are an everyday part of human experience (called "abductees") but also on the changing tapestry of American culture. Alien abduction accounts are closely related to the Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) phenomenon, a theme which has shaped American culture since the tum of the century. This thesis represents …

Vicarious Traumatization: An Examination Of The Effects Of Exposure To Traumatic Material In Child Abuse Counselors, Stacey A. Waller

Masters Theses

Counselors who deliver services to children who have suffered maltreatment confront on a daily basis horrific examples of human suffering inflicted on society's most vulnerable members. Such repeated exposure may put these professionals at risk for adverse psychological consequences, including vicarious traumatization (VT), which can include symptoms similar to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The present study examined the unique effects of providing trauma services to children on 34 counselors who work primarily with child survivors of maltreatment. While the prevalence of PTSD symptoms in this sample was low, respondents reported higher levels of depression and emotional exhaustion than found in …

The Relationships Among The Stimulus Functions And The Clinical Effects Of Methylphenidate In Children Diagnosed With Adhd, Emily K. Macdonald

Masters Theses

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most commonly diagnosed childhood psychiatric disorder in the United States. Approximately 90% of children receiving pharmacological treatment for ADHD receive the stimulant methylphenidate (MPH). MPH is associated with positive effects across many behavioral domains, yet the mechanisms through which it exerts clinical effects have not been conclusively determined. MPH produces reinforcing and subjective effects, however it is not understood how these functions relate to clinical effects. The present study examined the relationship among several stimulus functions and the clinical effects of MPH. Participants were 5 children (aged 10-14) diagnosed with ADHD who were …

Do Safety Observers Perform More Safely As A Result Of Conducting Observations?, Alicia M. Alvero

Masters Theses

Behavior-based safety (BBS) is an effective approach to improving safety within organizations, and has been implemented across a wide variety of settings. The two major components of BBS are the observation process and the delivery of feedback. Literature on feedback is abundant, but experimentation and scientific evidence on effects of the observation process are nonexistent. Typically, supervisors or employees involved in BBS implementations conduct observations of other employees' behavior, but the effects of conducting observations on an observer's safety performance is not known. The present study was a first attempt at assessing these effects. A multiple baseline counterbalanced across two …

Bear/People Conflicts In Gatlinburg, Tennessee: An Analysis Of The Social, Political, And Ecological Elements, Kate Mitchell Newton

Masters Theses

Nuisance black bears cause property damage, threaten public safety, and heighten wildlife use conflicts among people across the United States. Wildlife managers have solutions to control nuisance black bear behavior and the accompanying conflicts that occur. The solutions are to require bear-proof garbage disposal, to prohibit intentional feeding, and to educate the public about black bear behavior. However, these solutions are either slow to be adopted or are ignored by local legislative bodies.

In 1999, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, adopted a local ordinance mandating bear-proof garbage containers. This thesis will explain why the city of Gatlinburg adopted the ordinance by documenting the …

Coming Clean: The Health Revolution Of 1890-1920 And Its Impact On Infant Mortality, April D.J. Garwin

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to document the change in attitudes and behaviors pertaining to public and personal hygiene habits at the turn of the nineteenth century. Public utilities, such as municipal water supplies, sanitary sewage systems, and refuse disposal reduced the incidence of communicable diseases. Access to potable water and sewage disposal encouraged a Health Revolution in the United States and the United Kingdom during the era 1890-1920.

Advertisers began (in 1890 and continuing into the 1920s) to employ the fear of contagious diseases, as well as the virtue of beauty, to target consumers and to promote the …

White-Tailed Deer Utility Indices: Development And Application Of An Analytical Method, Jodi A. Jacobson

Masters Theses

Full and partial carcass utility indices have been determined for many animals. The most widely utilized animal in eastern prehistoric North America is the white-tailed deer. However, whole carcass utility indices for this animal have not been investigated. In this thesis meat, marrow, and general utility indices are developed for Odocoileus virginianus. These indices are inspected for variation due to sex, age, and season. In addition, marrow fat percentages which may affect the accuracy of marrow utility indices, are investigated. Five deer have been collected from the ridge and valley region of East Tennessee. Four deer were acquired between …

Reading Between The Lines: The Business Discourse Of Globalization, Using Amway As A Local Example, Darlene Bos

Masters Theses

Corporate globalization has become an increasingly discussed topic. The impacts of corporate globalization have been studied on many fronts. This thesis seeks to examine how these worldwide impacts are tied to the individuals in the U.S. that consent to and comply with corporate globalization. This thesis is specifically concerned with the impacts of corporate globalization on workers in the U.S. and around the world. Discourse is the way in which information and ideas are expressed and shared. Discourse is the key to understanding the ideology behind corporate globalization. This thesis looks at the discourse about globalization within one company, Amway. …

Marketing Gullah: Identity, Cultural Politics, And Tourism, Melissa D. Hargrove

Masters Theses

This thesis represents an ethnographic study of the current situation of the South Carolina Gullah. Research was conducted during the summer of 1998 and 1999, in the Sea Island communities of Mt. Pleasant and St. Helena Island, to determine the ways in which local grassroots organizations are combating increased tourism, resort and retirement development, and the commoditization of their cultural heritage as a boost to state revenue. The sweetgrass basket weavers of Mt. Pleasant are situated within this struggle as the living legacy to their Gullah ancestry. Their insight is particularly enlightening concerning the current predicament of native Sea Islanders …

Time Series Analysis Of Twenty Year Hourly Precipitation Record In Oshtemo, Michigan, Robert James Ruhf

Masters Theses

Hourly precipitation data from Oshtemo Township four miles (6.4 km) west of Kalamazoo, Michigan were examined for the period of July 18, 1979 through March 31, 2000.

Diurnal analysis of precipitation was performed on years, months, seasons, and the overall period of record. An overall maximum in the mean accumulation of precipitation was detected around 2000 LT, while a secondary maximum was detected during the morning hours. Elevated spring and fall accumulations were responsible for the evening maximum. Elevated summer and winter accumulations were responsible for the secondary morning maximum.

The pulse analysis of the time series of hourly precipitation …

Joint Surface Area Proportions And Articular Curvature In Al 288-1: A Functional Interpretation, Adam David Sylvester

Masters Theses

Body size has been recognized by several authors as one of the most important parameters affecting the biology of an organism. It has been argued that body size plays roles in metabolic cost, mobility, thermoregulation, and foraging strategy. For extinct species body masses can only be estimated using fossil remains and extant reference samples. To accurately estimate body mass the reference sample must have the same relationship between body mass and skeletal elements. Establishing a reference sample with similar body proportions as the fossil species is imperative.

The purpose of this study is to investigate forelimb to hindlimb joint surface …

On The Hallowed Hill: An Analysis Of The Historic Cemeteries Within The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Jacqueline Lott

Masters Theses

Though a number of authors have stressed the importance of using cemetery data to study culture change through time, most of the available studies in this regard have been general in nature and completed without statistical analysis. Few studies have concentrated specifically on small, rural cemeteries, and fewer still have concentrated on regions outside of New England. The southern Appalachian Mountains are but one of the many regions that has yet to be studied in-depth. This thesis is an attempt to bridge some of the aforementioned gaps. Historic cemetery data collected in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be …

State-Corporate Crime In The Defense Industry: A Case Study Of General Dynamics’ Procurement Of The Trident Submarine, James E. Robinson

Masters Theses

This study outlines the evolution of White-Collar criminological studies of the 1940's, to the more specific study of State-Corporate in the Defense Industry. Furthermore, it outlines the procurement process used by the Department of Defense and puts these processes within a theoretical framework to better explain how State-Corporate crimes occur.

This study focuses on the process by which billions of dollars are wasted each year within the military procurement process, and specifically outlines the fraudulent procurement practices utilized by the General Dynamics Corporation when it built the Trident Submarine during the 1970's.

This study also explains the concept of the …

Relationships Between Land Cover Change And Breeding Birds In Kalamazoo County, Michigan, Daniel Mark Hoffman

Masters Theses

Effective conservation planning of breeding birds requires knowledge of responses to landscape change and pattern. This study analyzed associations between land cover type and change among three ecological groups, forest birds, shrubland birds, and grassland birds using Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data for Kalamazoo County, Michigan. Land cover maps for the years 1974 and 1996 were produced to assess land cover changes for BBS data from the period 1970-1996. The Pearson coefficient of correlation was used to correlate land cover type percent within BBS radii and the total birds of a bird group observed within each radius. Conclusions of the …

Mapping Stamp Sand Dynamics: Gay, Michigan, Thomas H. Rasmussen

Masters Theses

Monitoring coastal change is an important undertaking because a high percentage of the population lives within close proximity to coastal areas. This paper examines a portion of Lake Superior's shoreline where coastal change has been shaped by the introduction of 25 million tonnes of stamp sand, a man-made sediment. Longshore currents erode and deposit sediment changing the geomorphology of the coastline on both a short- and long-term basis. This movement may be documented through comparison of archival and current air photos. A series of historical air photo mosaics were input to a Geographic Information System (GIS). The GIS was used …

Proposition 48: Knowledge, Attitude And Appreciation In High School Student-Athletes, Robin Salters

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the knowledge, attitude, and appreciation of high school student-athletes toward National Collegiate Athletics Association bylaw 14.3, commonly known as Proposition 48. The subjects completed a questionnaire inquiring about their knowledge of Proposition 48 as well as knowledge of its qualifying criteria. Those subjects that acknowledged having heard of the bylaw were then asked questions pertaining to their attitude towards Proposition 48 as a standard for intercollegiate athletics eligibility and the effect of their knowledge of Proposition 48 on their study habits in preparing for the pressures of being an intercollegiate athlete.

The …

The Utility Of Functional Assessment Rating Scales: An Analysis Of The Effects Of Training On Teacher Rated Functions And Intervention Suggestions, Kari N. Anderson

Masters Theses

Recent federal legislation mandates the use of functional assessment in schools when a more restrictive placement is being considered. This same legislation also recommends the use of fue nctional assessment as best practice for use in special education decision making. Currently, there is a continuum of options of tools and methods employed in the functional assessment process, and a number of differing opinions of who should be involved in the process. Traditionally school psychologists have been designated as the lead person in this process. Teachers have demonstrated that they too can provide valuable information regarding the function of a student's …

Assessment Of Methylphenidate Sensitization Using A Two-Lever Drug Discrimination Procedure, Ann Marie Heidema

Masters Theses

The current study examined the effects of methylphenidate (MP) pre-exposure on the acquisition of cocaine discrimination in rats. Sixteen male Sprague-Dawley rats were administered either 10 mg/kg MP or saline for five consecutive days. Following this pre-treatment phase, animals were trained to discriminate 10 mg/kg cocaine-hydrochloride from saline using a two-lever fixed-ratio 20 (FR20) schedule of food reinforcement. Acquisition of cocaine discrimination, as indicated by the number of sessions to criterion, did not differ significantly between the two-pre-treatment groups (MP = 35.5 ± 2.4; SAL = 31.6 ± 2.3). Stimulus generalization tests were conducted with cocaine and methylphenidate using cumulative …

Debunking The Spontaneous Human Combustion Myth: Experiments In The Combustibility Of The Human Body, Angi M. Christensen

Masters Theses

Human combustion has been described as "the nearly complete combustion of living human beings in the apparent absence of sufficient external fuel" and it has been inferred from this that either the "human body is unexpectedly combustible of itself or, more controversially, some unrecognized external energy source is acting on the body" (Corliss 1993). Advocates of the phenomenon of spontaneous human combustion, or SHC, have hypothesized everything from potables to poltergeists to pyrotrons to account for the unusual circumstances surrounding these deaths.

Mainstream science, however, contends that although strange, a scientific explanation for the phenomenon does exist. Several studies have …

Forgiveness And The Post-Abortive Woman: Achieving Self-Forgiveness, Amy M. Peck

Masters Theses

Concepts of forgiveness explore the sum of the parts of any individual within any context or belief system an individual is a part of. The sum of these parts involve forgiveness within the context of an entire person, empathy being at the heart of forgiveness, forgiveness as a relationship and forgiveness being that of a personal commitment. Forgiveness is an art within the process toward emotional maturity and is a part of any aspect of the human experience toward achieving self-acceptance. Applications of forgiveness are therapeutic and can be a way in which personal healing can take place. In addition, …

Temporal And Emg Relationships Among The Phases Of Vertical And Depth Jumps, Amanda Albright

Masters Theses

Plyometric exercises blend speed and strength training and are often used to help an athlete reach his or her ultimate power potential. Specifically, plyometric training is a technique that enhances neuromuscular excitability, which may in tum increase the ability to achieve a greater work output.

The purpose of this study was to examine the temporal and EMG differences between two different jumping techniques: a vertical jump and depth jumps of varying heights. The study consisted of 20 female physical education majors grouped as skilled or unskilled. Temporal and EMG data were collected for (a) the duration of time spent in …

Environmental Sociology: An Analysis Of Trends, Gregory M. Fulkerson

Masters Theses

This thesis describes the current status of environmental sociology, and presents an invitation to the reader to engage in the topic of the environment. It begins with a review of the literature, focusing on the origins of sociology and the theory of ecology, and presents the framework for the content analysis. The content analysis investigates the content and number of environmental sociology articles in mainstream sociological journals. In addition to the articles themselves, it analyzes the schools and authors of these articles. This analysis is supplemented with an analysis of environmental journals, enumerating the total number of environmental journals in …

Date Rape: Assessment Of Facial Emg Arousal And Cue Recognition During Audiotaped Vignettes, Scott Walter Maieritsch

Masters Theses

Introduction

Date Rape

The issue of rape has long attracted considerable attention in the popular press. It has only been within the past three decades, however, that rape has captured the attention of the scientific community as a focus of study. Recent research has challenged the long held beliefs and stereotypes which have characterized the typical rapist as a stranger who violently attacks his victim in public places such as dark alleys and parking lots. There is mounting evidence that women are far more likely to be sexually assaulted by men whom they know, including friends, dates, and lovers (Russell, …

Comparative Evaluation Of Small To Mid-Size U.S. Bus Transit Systems, 1997, Greg P. Vlietstra

Masters Theses

This study provides an assessment of the overall comparative performance of 178 small to mid-size bus transit operations located in the United States, during 1997. It uses commonly applied measures of resources and results. This is the only known study that compares and ranks small to mid-size bus systems by combining both resources and results.

The selected data comes from the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) National Transit Database Profiles: Agencies in Urbanized Are·as with a Population of Less than 200,000. The nationally reported data is collected and published by the FTA under Section 15 of the Transit Act. Davis, …

Life Tomorrow: Living Through The Redevelopment Of The Heartside Area, Mackenzi Anne Huyser

Masters Theses

The Heartside area is located in the central city of Grand Rapids and is bounded by the streets of Fulton, Wealthy, Ionia and Lafayette. The neighborhood has seen a number of developmental changes in the last seven years. These changes include structural changes in buildings and a change in the clientele who visit and live in the area. The development of the VanAndel Arena, in 1995, brought many new restaurants and stores into the neighborhood. An area occupied by vacant buildings, homeless shelters, and limited growth, Heartside has seen a rapid, intense period of redevelopment. The current residents in the …

Prevalence Rates And Factor Analysis Of Dsm-Iv Specific Phobia Types, Sarah P. Kerrick

Masters Theses

The Object and Situation Anxiety Survey (OSAS) was factor analyzed in a sample of 288 undergraduate participants. The OSAS is directly derived from DSM-IV (1994) criteria for specific phobia using the 5 diagnostic criteria across the 4 DSM-IV (1994) phobia types (animal, natural environment, blood-injection-injury, and situational), plus social phobia. Five reliable factors were derived from the OSAS that included each of the DSM-IV (1994) phobia types and social phobia. Prevalence rates for each phobia type were as follows: animal type (2.1%), natural-environment type (3.5%), blood-injection-injury type (6.6%), situational type (2.4%), and social phobia (8.7%). The prevalence of any type …

The Effects Of Empathy On Speech Ratings, Jill Mcnamara

Masters Theses

This research project tests whether empathy has an affect upon ratings of speeches. First the rater' s individual level of empathy is surveyed. Next, the many different definitions of empathy are broken down into cognitive and affective perspectives and altruistic motivations. The likelihood of empathy being a dispositional or situational trait is discussed. Various methods used to train individuals to enhance their empathic skills through behavior observation and schools and how effective these methods have proven to be is identified. Empathy was then examined as to gender affects an individual's ability to experience that emotion. Using two different speeches, one …

Male Sexual Behavior: Revisiting The Eiu Sexual Experience Survey And Report, Justin W. Freeman

Masters Theses

The EIU Sexual Experiences Survey of 1989 was given to 1693 Eastern undergraduate students in order to determine the incidence rate of sexual assault on campus. The survey report consisted of descriptive findings only, leaving future correlational research to answer any questions that remained. This study designated 664 male survey respondents with the Illinois legal classification system, and analyzed the demographics of the men surveyed to find any correlational relationships. No meaningful correlational relationships were found across the conditions of perpetrator and non-perpetrator for the male survey respondents.

Cognitive Complexity Of Heterosexual Arguments On The Civil Rights And Liberties Of Homosexuals, Kristopher Michael Goetz

Masters Theses

This study examined how heterosexuals argue about the civil rights and liberties of homosexuals and how various factors interacted in determining how complex heterosexuals' arguments are about two issues; the freedom of homosexuals to express their sexual orientation in public and the status of same-sex marriage. The factors examined were: value conflict (conflict in values experienced when dealing with an issue), issue familiarity (knowledge of the pros and cons of an issue), and perceived status (the perception that one's views are shared by most people or by only a few).

The value conflict experienced by the participants was assessed when …